10-C-23-IH

Level III: New Primary Structure

Approved With Conditions

Recommendation

The DRB should discuss the revised rooflines of the units fronting E. Oldham Ave., and whether any additional design elements are necessary to align the alley units with the context.

Pending input and additional conditions from the Board on the above items, staff recommends approval of Certificate 10-C-23-IH, subject to the following conditions: 1) final site plan to meet City Engineering standards; 2) final elevation drawings to meet design standards of C-G-2 zoning and principal use standards for townhouses.

Property Notes / Work to be Completed

- Four new townhouse buildings; building fronting N. Central St contains four units, two buildings fronting E. Oldham Ave contain four units each, and alley building contains five units. On N. Central St, the townhouses are set 5'-7.5" from the front property line; units fronting E. Oldham Ave are set 4' from the property line.
- The N. Central St building is three stories tall, with a two-story massing along Central St. and a recessed third story closer to the rear. The flat-roof building will be clad in brick veneer for the first two stories, with the three-story massing clad in fiber cement lap siding, with vertical panels fronting N. Central Street and lap siding of "mixed exposure heights" on the side and rear elevations. The building features recessed entries with full-light doors and sidelights, accessible by individual stoops, paired single-light windows evenly spaced along the façade, and irregularly spaced single-light windows on the side and rear elevations.
- The two buildings fronting E. Oldham Ave are two-stories tall, featuring irregularly pitched front gable roofs. The roof pitches vary along the roofline, from 4/12, 6/12, 8/12, and 12/12. The building will be clad in fiber cement lap siding with mixed exposure heights and rest on a stucco-clad foundation. Central massings in each unit feature cantilevered second stories, above recessed entry stoops. Windows on the side elevations feature irregular spacing and sizing.
- The alley building is three stories, featuring a 2/12 pitch shed roof and an exterior of fiber cement lap siding in mixed exposure heights. The south elevation (facing the property interior) features individual entries (doors not shown) and single-light windows. The north elevation (facing the north alley) features lower-level garage entries and single-light windows in irregular spaces and sizes.

Applicable Guidelines

Heart of Knoxville Infill Housing Design Guidelines

- 1. Front Yards
  - Consistent front yard space should be created along the street with the setback of a new house matching the older houses on the block.
  - A walkway should be provided from the sidewalk or street to the front door. Along grid streets, the walk should be perpendicular to the street.
  - Healthy trees that are outside the building footprint should be preserved. The root area should be marked and protected during construction.
- 2. Housing Orientation
  - New housing should be proportional to the dimensions of the lot and other houses on the block.
  - On corner lots, side yard setbacks should be handled traditionally (that is, closer to the side street). The zoning requirement to treat corner lots as having two frontages should not apply in Heart of Knoxville neighborhoods.
  - Side yard setbacks should be similar to older houses on the block, keeping the rhythm of spacing between houses consistent.
- 3. Alleys, Parking, and Services
  - Parking should not be in front yards.
  - Alley access should be used for garage or parking pad locations. On level ground, pea gravel or similar material may be used as a parking pad off alleys.
  - Garages which are perpendicular to the alley should be about 18 feet from the center line of the alley pavement, allowing a comfortable turning radius for a driver to enter a garage.
  - Alley-oriented parking pads, garbage collection points, and utility boxes should be screened with a combination of landscaping and fencing.
  - On those streets which have alleys, driveways should not be permitted from the front of the house.
  - On corner lots, a driveway to the garage may be provided off the side street.
- 4. Scale, Mass, and Foundation Height
  - The front elevation should be designed to be similar in scale to other houses along the street.
  - The front façade of new houses should be about the same width as original houses on the block.
  - New foundations should be about the same height as the original houses in the neighborhood.
  - If greater height is to be created (with new construction or an addition), that portion of the house should be located toward the side or rear of the property.
- 5. Porches and Stoops
  - Porches should be part of the housing design in those neighborhoods where porches were commonplace.
  - Porches should be proportional to original porches on the block, extending about 8-12 feet toward the street from the habitable portion of the house.
  - Porches should extend into the front yard setback, if necessary, to maintain consistency with similarly sited porches along the street.
  - Porch posts and railings should be like those used in the historic era of the neighborhood's development. Wrought iron columns and other materials that were not used in the early 1900's should not be used.
  - Small stoops centered on entry and no more than 5 feet deep are appropriate on blocks where porches were not traditional.
- 6. Windows and Doors
  - When constructing new houses, the window and door styles should be similar to the original or historic houses on the block.
  - To respect the privacy of adjacent properties, consider the placement of side windows and doors.
  - The windows and doors on the front facade of an infill house should be located in similar proportion and position as the original houses on the block.
  - Attention should be paid to window placement and the ratio of solid (the wall) to void (the window and door openings).
  - Contemporary windows such as "picture windows" should not be used in pre-World War II neighborhoods.
- 7. Roof Shapes and Materials
  - New roofs should be designed to have a similar pitch to original housing on the block
  - More complex roofs, such as hipped roofs and dormers, should be part of new housing designs when such forms were historically used on the block.
  - Darker shades of shingle were often used and should be chosen in roofing houses in Heart of Knoxville neighborhoods.
- 8. Siding Material
  - Clapboard-like materials (such as cement fiberboard) should be used in constructing new housing where painted wood siding was traditionally used.
  - Brick, wood shingle, and other less common material may be appropriate in some older neighborhoods, particularly those with a mix of architectural styles.
  - Faced stone, vertical siding, and other non-historic materials should not be used in building new houses. In 1930-1950 era neighborhoods, faced stone may be appropriate (see Section 12).
- 10. Multi-Unit Housing
  - Multi-unit housing (where permitted by zoning) should have similar front yard space to that of the traditional single-family houses along the street.
  - In zoning districts where multi-unit housing is permitted, the height of the new housing should be similar to the original houses along the street.
  - Multi-unit housing should be designed to continue the architectural rhythm of the block. In addition to the same build-to line, porches, bays and breaks in the front façade should be created to mimic the look of older homes when looking down the block. This should be done by dividing
    the building into separate sections that are proportionally similar to original houses on the block.
  - Parking should be provided behind apartments with access from the alley.
  - Landscaping, including shade trees, should be planted in both front and back yards.
- 11. Landscape and Other Considerations
  - One native or naturalized shade tree should be planted in the front and rear yards of in fill lots with 25 feet or more in depth to front of house.